Solutions that don’t break the bank, reinvent the wheel or marginalize our teachers are within our grasp. We could have rigorous classes, safe and disciplined schools and treat teachers like valued colleagues rather than easily replaceable cogs, and we could do so tomorrow if we wanted. Disclaimer, this is an opinion and commentary site and should not be confused as a news site. Also know that quite often people may disagree with the opinions posted.

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Sunday, May 11, 2014

Jeb Bush asks for a do-over on common core.

I found an editorial in the North West Florida Daily news
about Jeb Bush and Common Core very interesting. You should know right off the
bat I am proudly a big government liberal. I believe the federal government
should set nation wide standards on many things. Furthermore if Common Core were
done the right way it is probably something that would have been right up my
alley but unfortunately it wasn’t done right for several reasons.

First I don’t think the United States government should be
coercing and threatening the states and this is what they did with Common Core.
During the great recession they bribed scared and cash strapped states to trade
local control and then when some states balked they threatened them with
withholding No Child Left Behind waivers.
If it wasn’t for those two things I believe far fewer states would have
signed on to Common Core. Instead of forcing the states to except which will
basically be a national curriculum they should have collaborated with the
states and found parts that could have been palatable to all.

Worse however is Common Core does not address the real
problem in education and that is poverty. When you factor out poverty our
scores on international tests zoom to the top of the rankings. Common Core is
not going to make a kid feel safer, put food in their belly, make their parents
be more involved or provide wrap around services because often why a kid acts
up or does poorly in school has nothing to do with school. Instead common core
doubles down on high stakes testing which has siphoned the joy out of learning
and teaching for so many students and teachers alike and likewise siphons
millions and millions out of the classroom and into the coffers of the testing
industry. We have a poverty problem not a standards problem.

There is also one thing thought that I think you missed. In
so vigorously supporting common core Jeb Bush is basically saying what he
implemented was a failure. He was in charge of education for eight years and
since he has been gone his legacy has continued on loudly and forcibly but that
hasn’t stopped him from saying that if we want Florida’s kids to compete
internationally, unless of course they take a voucher that is because those
kids will be exempt from Common Core, that we need Common Core.

In effect he is saying, hey we need to completely change the
standards I put in place and championed until just recently. Forget everything
I have done and please give me a do-over.

An expensive do-over that takes money out of the classroom,
doubles down on standardized tests and doesn’t really address our real problem,
poverty, at that.